Turning-signal for automobiles.



F. W. W`4'KWSK?. TURNING SIGNAL FOR AUTMBILES. APPLICATION min mi, 2o. 19u.

Patented Apr. l, 1919.

L2 o 2 y i L-wmummffm 33 /lv VEA/ron:

f. W. WfTTlra nrs/c! 'UNITED STATES FRIEDRICH W. WITTKOWSKI, OF DES MOIN'ES. IOWA.

TURNING-SIGNAL Fon- AUToMoBniEs.

Application tted February 20. 1917.

To HN I/'w/n it muy roar-rra Be it known that l. |"l.'1r.n|:n'n 1V. 'I'r'rnowsiil. ritizen of the lluited States. of .\nierira. and resident ot' Des Moines. Polk vounty. lowa. hare intvntvd a new and uset'ul Turning-Signal for .\utomohiles. of whirh thv following is a .speritieatioir The ohjert of this intention is to provide improved means for .signaling and indicating thv proposed direction ot turning a ven hit-le.

further ohjvet ot' this` invention is t0 provide improved meansfor indicating to traliitthv intention and proposed direeiion of turning a rehirle from a straight line of travel.

further ohjeet of this invention is to provide improved meansl for operating a turning signal..

t'nrther object' of this invention is to provide improved means for illuminating a turning signal.

further ohjeet of 'this invention is t0 piesent a different form of .signal forwardly from the one presented rear\\'ardl to 1nlivatv the direetion in whirh the vehiele is moving. t

further ohjevt ot' this invention is' to provide an improved arbitrary .signal to diftervntiate between the forward, and rear ends ot' a vehiele.

My invention consists in the eonstrurtiou, arrangement and .combination of elenunts hereinafter set forth.` pointed out in my elaims and illustrated h v the aeronipanrmg drawing. in whieh- Figure l is a rear elevation. partly in Seotinte` illustratinginv improved signaling meehanism in position for praetieal use, dotted lines indirating one of the .signal armsl in operative or signaling position. Fig. is a vel-tival .sei-tion on the line Q-2 ot' ["g. l. on an enlarged seale. Figs. Il. 4 and .3 arv rear. side and front elevations` re- -:pvvti\'vl \'l ot' the end portion of a .signalipg arm. on an enlarged srale. l" ig. ('3 |s a dlaglaln ot' the elect-'rival ronnevtunusl employed nait-h the device.

ln the (-.onstruetion of thv devices aS .shown the numeral l0 designates the forward end'mvmher orinatrument hoard of a vehivle sneli as an automobile of any .suitahle. eonstrurtion. on whirh is mounted a "windshield I1 in a common manner. A hraeket l). preterabttl of ehannvl t'nrm with its opening arranged uppermost, is monat- Speciflcation of Letters Patent.

Patented A pr. 1. 1919.

seriaim. 149.801.

-ed on and ixvd to the central portion of thv instrument hoard or supportY 10. and shafts lit. lst are jonrnaled tonoseill-.ition in .said braekvt'. longitudinally of the vehicle, and on opposite .sides ot the median line thervot'. 'l`hv .shafts lil. 1l project Slightly al their rear ends through the rear member ot' the brat-het l2. and hand levers 15` 16 are tixvd rvs|wrtire|y to .said projecting ends and are adapted for movement through ari-,s manuall) to oseillate .said Shafts. Segnuntal rarlt'a 1T. 1S are formed on or fixed to outer upper eornvr portions of the rear member of the lirarket 12. and the levers 15. lt are t'ormvd with detent devices 19, one ot' whieh is shown in Fig. '2. arranged on their forward sides and adapted' to engage the rai-ks 1T. 1S respeetively and hold the levers in any position in whivh they' may be plaeed manually. Crank arms 20. Q1 are fixed to the shafts 13. 14 respectively. adjarent the forward member of the bracket 12,

Lind extend in a general upward direction from said .shafts and approximately paratlvl with the levers 13. 16. Signal arms 2'2, It are pirotecl at their lower ends to end portions ot" the lower trame member of the windshield 11. or to the Yehiele bod)7 adjaeent thereto. and said Signal arms are of .snllirient length to extend approximately to thv top of said windshield. Housings 24, 23 are fixed to the upper outer corner portions ofthe windshield t1. and .said housings 'are open at their outer .sides and adapted to reveire the upper ends of the Signal arma Q1?. 23.

Signaling deriees are earried b v the upper .ends of the arms QQ. Q3. and one of said signaling derieea is shown in detail in Figs. 3. 4 and 5. A rim Q6 fixed to the upper end of eaeh arm. in a plane transversely of the path of travel of the vehicle, and said rim is-provided with glazing 27. Q8 in its forward and rear sides respeetively. whereh'v a cylindriral Signaling deviee is formed with transparent front and rear fares. The glazing 27. 28 of front and rear ofthe sinaling devices preferably are distinguis f ably different in rharaeter or coloring. t0 indirate to those familiar with arbitrary differenees adopted to so distinguish. whether a rehiele on whit-h the `signals are carried is approarhing or retreating. or whether the signal observed is on the front or rear of the reliiele. To this end T haveY .shown the front; glass S37 (Fig. 5) formed with a red Maltese loo` 2 Leganes cross and white segments between the arms thereof; and the rear lass 28 (Fig. tl) formed with a white Ma tese cross and red segments between the arms thereof and also with a red circle in the center of the cross. Any arbitrar arrangelnent of designs or coloring may e employed for the front and rear classes, and such designs or colors may be applied in any desired manner, 1.o facilitate, reading and understanding of the sig' nals.

l'pper ends of the crank arms 20, 2l are` pivotally connected by links 29, 30, respectively. to intermediate portions of the sig nal arms 22, 23. When the parts are m the position shown by full linesnthe arms 22.. 23 are in upright ositlons adjacent the sides o1' the windshie d l1` and the signaling di vices formed by the glazed rims 2G are eontained within and concealed by the housings 24. The levers 15, iti may he` moved outY wardly selectively` as indicated by dotted lines` at the right in Fig. l. to oseillate the corresponding shaft, 13 or 14. with its crank arm 2O or 2l, and, through the links` 29. 210. oscillatc the signal arm 22 or 2? to an inclined or horizontal position a\\'a \Y from the side of the windshield 11. or to signaling position. to indirate that the drirer is about to turn the vehicle in the direction indicated by Such arm. so selected and operated.

It is desirable to provide. means imI illuinitiating;r the signaling devices on the arms 22, 23, and to this end lamps 31. are mounted within the rims 26, each lamp being provided with conductors 33, 3l. the conductor :il preferably being grounded in a suitable location on the frame ot' the vehicle. The conductors 33 lead to a suitable source of electrical energy such as a battery 1&5. preferably having one pole suitably ground ed to the frame of the vehicle. in a common manner, and each conductor 33 also is provided with a switch. ln this instance I hare lshown the switches of the conductors 33 formed of contact plates 36, 37 of arcuate .form mounted on the support 10 and adapted to be, contacted by the, crank arms 2t), 2l. which are 0f metal. The arcnateplates 36, 37 also` serve as stops and limit outward movhient `of the armsl 22, 23 by engagement with the crank arms 20. 2]. When the signal arms 22, 23 are. in upright position with the signaling devices 26 concealed within the housings 24, 25, the crank arms 20, 21

are out of contact with the plates 36, 37 and the circuits are broken, so that the lamps 31, 32 are not illuminated. When the, levers 15, lt are moved throu h arcs to extend the signal arms 22, 23, tie crank arms 20, 21 contact with the plates 36, 37, complete the circuits, and illuminate the lamps 31, 32, `such contact plates preferably being beieled on their initial ends to facilitate engagement by the crank arms. The Contact plates 36, 2li' may be. so arranged that contact of the crank arms 20. 21 does not take placeY until the levers l5. lt have been moved some dis tance. as indieated in Fig. l. so that in day time. when the illumination may not be required. the signal arms may be operated without illumination by a lesser movement of the levers. rllho conductors 33 may be attached to the Contact plates 3G. 3T and to the crank arms :20, .21 in any desired manner, and may follow the links 2f), It() and arno 2;. :.i in inconspieuous positions.

The arms 22. it ma) he ol' any desired length und he arranged to more through ari-s of aux desiied extent. ln like manner the housing 12h27 would be located utrpropol'tiouale altitudes to rerei\ietl1elamp casings on the arms and obstruct, obscuro and hidi` the `signalimrg plates and the lamps from view when the arms are in witlnlrawn positions.

l claim as my inventioirm 1. A turning signal for automobiles. com prisiingr a support. a channel bracket mount ed thereon. shafts iournaled in said bracket and extending :li-rossv the channel therein. signal arms pi voted on opposite sides of the support. operatingA levers connected with said shafts. crank arms on the shafts. and

links pivotal| \l ronnertin;l said crank arms to the signal arms.

.i turning signal for automobiles, comprising a support. a channel bracket mounted thereon. shafts journaled in said bracket and extending across theV channel thereiiji.

si fnal arms `iivoted on o i insite sides of the l l l FRlEDRICll i W. W IT'IKUWSKI. 

